1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a data processing apparatus which can communicate with a printer through a predetermined communication medium, a data processing method of the data processing apparatus, and a memory medium in which a computer readable program has been stored.
2. Related Background Art
Hitherto, in a printing system comprising a host computer and a printer connected to the host computer, a conventional printer driver (printer control command forming program) which operates on the host computer forms a printer control command while always applying a predetermined data compression method. In the case where a data compressing process cannot be performed due to some reasons or a compression effect cannot be obtained, another compression method in place of it is applied or a printer control command forming process which is not accompanied with the data compressing process is executed.
In the printer driver according to the conventional technique, since a processing time that is required for various printing processes is not considered in a step of forming the printer control command while applying a specific compression method, there is a problem such that a relatively high-speed printing process cannot be performed.
The invention is made to solve the above problems and it is an object of the invention to provide a data processing apparatus in which feature information which makes it possible to presume various print processing times in the case where a specific compression method is applied and the case where it is not applied is obtained, printer control commands are sequentially formed while a compression method whereby a relatively high-speed process can be performed is dynamically determined on the basis of the feature information, thereby enabling a relatively high-speed printing process to be realized. It is also an object of the invention to provide a data processing method for such a data processing apparatus and a memory medium in which a computer readable program has been stored.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data processing apparatus which can communicate with a printer through a predetermined communication medium, comprising: printer command forming means for constructing a print image by analyzing a drawing command which is formed by an operating system and for forming a printer control command which is based on the print image and should be transferred to the printer; first obtaining means for obtaining feature information to presume print processing times by the printer command forming means in the case where a specific compression method is used and the case where it is not used; discriminating means for discriminating whether the printer command forming means should use the specific compression method or not on the basis of the feature information obtained by the first obtaining means; and control means for switching and controlling the formation of the printer control command which is formed by the printer command forming means and to which the specific compression method is applied and the formation of the printer control command to which the specific compression method is not applied on the basis of a discrimination result of the discriminating means.
According to a second aspect of the invention, the discriminating means compares the processing times which are computed from the feature information obtained by the first obtaining means and from a predetermined parameter, thereby discriminating whether the printer command forming means can apply the use of the specific compression method or not.
According to a third aspect of the invention, the discriminating means discriminates whether the specific compression method should be used after the print image was constructed or not.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the first obtaining means obtains the feature information to presume the print processing time from a predetermined memory medium.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the predetermined memory medium is a memory medium which is detachable to/from a main body of the data processing apparatus.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, the first obtaining means obtains the feature information to presume the print processing time from a value that is inputted on a predetermined print setting picture plane depending on a print control module.
According to a seventh aspect of the invention, the first obtaining means obtains the feature information to presume the print processing time by a predetermined program module.
According to an eighth aspect of the invention, the first obtaining means obtains the feature information to presume the print processing time from a memory resource of the printer through the communication medium.
According to a ninth aspect of the invention, the first obtaining means obtains the feature information to presume the print processing time from a memory resource which is detachable to/from the printer through the communication medium.
According to a tenth aspect of the invention, the data processing apparatus further has: second obtaining means for obtaining print resource information from the printer through the communication medium; and changing means for changing the feature information to presume the print processing time obtained by the first obtaining means on the basis of the print resource information obtained by the second obtaining means.
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data processing method of a data processing apparatus which can communicate with a printer through a predetermined communication medium, comprising: a printer command forming step of constructing a print image by analyzing a drawing command which is formed by an operating system and forming a printer control command which is based on the print image and should be transferred to the printer; an obtaining step of obtaining feature information to presume print processing times by the printer command forming step in the case where a specific compression method is used and the case where it is not used; a discriminating step of discriminating whether the specific compression method should be used in the printer command forming step or not on the basis of the feature information obtained by the obtaining step; and a deciding step of deciding the formation of the printer control command which is formed by the printer command forming step and to which the specific compression method is applied and the formation of the printer control command to which the specific compression method is not applied on the basis of a discrimination result of the discriminating step.
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a memory medium in which a computer readable program for controlling a data processing apparatus which can communicate with a printer through a predetermined communication medium has been stored, wherein said program comprises: a printer command forming step of constructing a print image by analyzing a drawing command which is formed by an operating system and forming a printer control command which is based on the print image and should be transferred to the printer; an obtaining step of obtaining feature information to presume print processing times by the printer command forming step in the case where a specific compression method is used and the case where it is not used; a discriminating step of discriminating whether the specific compression method should be used in the printer command forming step or not on the basis of the feature information obtained by the obtaining step; and a deciding step of deciding the formation of the printer control command which is formed by the printer command forming step and to which the specific compression method is applied and the formation of the printer control command to which the specific compression method is not applied on the basis of a discrimination result of the discriminating step.
According to the invention, there are provided data processing method and apparatus, in which a CPU 1 obtains the feature information to presume various print processing times in the case where the specific compression method is applied and the case where it is not applied is obtained from any one of an RAM 2, an external memory 11, an external memory 14, and an ROM 13, and the printer control commands are sequentially formed while the compression method by which a relatively high-speed process can be performed is dynamically determined on the basis of the feature information.
According to the data processing method of the invention, the method comprises: a printer command forming step of constructing a print image by analyzing a drawing command which is formed by an operating system and forming a printer control command which is based on the print image and should be transferred to the printer; an obtaining step of obtaining feature information to presume print processing times by the printer command forming step in the case where a specific compression method is used and the case where it is not used; a discriminating step of discriminating whether the specific compression method should be used in the printer command forming step or not on the basis of the feature information obtained by the first obtaining step; and a deciding step of deciding the formation of the printer control command which is formed by the printer command forming step and to which the specific compression method is applied and the formation of the printer control command to which the specific compression method is not applied on the basis of a discrimination result of the discriminating step. Therefore, whether the compression method is applied to a print data amount which fluctuates or not can be dynamically determined in consideration of the feature information to presume the print processing time by the printer command forming step. For print data such that the presumed processing time is below the effect that will be obtained by the compression, the printer control command which is based on the print image and should be transferred to the printer is formed without actively compressing, and a series of printing processes can be remarkably reduced.
Therefore, the feature information for making it possible to presume the various print processing times in the case where the specific compression method is applied and the case where it is not applied is obtained and the printer control commands can be sequentially formed while the compression method by which the relatively high-speed process can be performed is dynamically determined on the basis of the feature information. There are effects such that the relatively high-speed printing process can be realized and the like.